Criminal Case Opened Due to Alleged Violence Against Inmates at Nubarashen Penitentiary

The Office of the Prosecutor General of Armenia has forwarded materials regarding a complaint by an inmate at Nubarashen Penitentiary to the Special Investigative Service of Armenia for further investigation and resolution of the case. This follows allegations of assaults by staff within the penitentiary against three inmates.

Gor Abrahamyan, an advisor to the Prosecutor General, reminded on his Facebook page that the preliminary materials reportedly contain information indicating that state officials may have engaged in acts of violence while exceeding their official powers.

“Given that the prepared materials appear to contain features of criminal acts characterized by the use of violence by officials performing state functions, it is necessary to clarify the circumstances of the case through a complete, objective, and comprehensive investigation,” stated Abrahamyan, confirming that a criminal case has been initiated under part two of Article 309 of the Criminal Code of Armenia.

It should be noted that just days ago, the Human Rights Defender announced that they had received signals regarding a case where an inmate was allegedly beaten by prison staff in the punishment cell at Nubarashen on the morning of August 23. An immediate response visit was conducted to the Nubarashen penitentiary, and private interviews were held with three inmates.